Suicide soldier's dad decries 'toxic' ADF

The father of a soldier who committed suicide says more young people will kill themselves unless the military's culture is changed.

Charles Williams's son, Jeremy, committed suicide at the age of 20 while he was undergoing basic training at a base in Singleton in New South Wales in 2003.

Mr Williams says his son was a victim of a "toxic culture" that pervades the armed forces.

He has welcomed Defence Minister Stephen Smith's announcement of a fresh set of reviews and inquiries into the culture of the Defence Force, but others are sceptical that army culture can be changed.

Mr Williams says his son went down with shin splints and was transferred to a platoon which was "very much the butt of ridicule and of this culture of abuse and denigration which was fostered and encouraged at the NCO level and junior officer level".

"He basically despaired of his situation," he said.

Mr Williams says the military treated his son and his family appallingly.

"No parent could possibly take any reassurance that the culture, this toxic culture and denigration of females in the ADF is being controlled, even being suppressed, in fact it's getting worse," he said.

"We're seeing more of these incidents emerge, coming through in recent months and in recent years."

Now his biggest concern is that more young recruits who are bullied and victimised will take their own lives.

"You must remember that when young people go into the ADF they're in a controlled environment from which they can't escape," he said.

"If they're subject to bullying, then very sinister options emerge. And that's why we've had these suicides, we've had these young people despairing of their situation."

Mr Williams says the military's culture needs to be overhauled from top to bottom.

He says Mr Smith's actions to change the culture of the ADF are "courageous".

"What needs to be remembered is that the ADF is [an] instrument of the country. It's funded by the taxpayer. And if the military chiefs in this country can't manage these problems correctly then it's up to the minister to step in and ensure this sort of behaviour is controlled.

"At long last we have a minister who is prepared to put his hand up, come forward and direct that the chiefs manage, as they should, this toxic culture of abuse that we've seen all too much of in the Australian Defence Force."

But there are others who are sceptical the inquiries will be able to bring in any lasting changes.

Jason Nicoll served as a peacekeeper in Rwanda and saw combat in East Timor with the Australian Army.

He eventually left the army with post-traumatic stress disorder and says the military ostracised him and gave him no support.

"When a bloke who's been in the army for a fair while and comes to his hierarchy, who he should be able to trust, and says that he's having a few dramas, when they push him aside and ridicule him, that's pretty low in my eyes," he said.

"When you've done the time and you've put it all on the line for the hierarchy, you've put it all on the line for the country, you should be getting the support from within the unit. [But] it's just not there."

Mr Nicoll says the army is an entrenched culture which will be difficult to change.

"I would have to say that there's still a lot of old-school mentality in there where it is an old boys' club," he said.